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It did not take a whole lot of time for me. I live in Chicago and had to go back for court once or twice, but mostly my lawyer was able to handle the court appearances for me.

It cost me about $1300 for a lawyer from the National Lawyers Guild, and she agreed to take me through trial with that if it came to it. I'm sure I took up a lot more than $1300 worth of her time, but she was amazing.

Basically the strategy of the prosecutor was to try to get people to plea out for lower charges & small fines ($250-$300 or so) because it would be more expensive to pay your own lawyer fees. Fortunately I was in a position where I could afford it and I was happier to give my money to an NLG attorney than the state. In addition, they wouldn't let me use a public defender because I am employed.